The Basics of Pipe Repair

There is no better feeling than seeing the happy expressions on your clients’ faces as they stand back
and take in the exquisite landscape that you and your
crew just installed. It is artistry at its finest, a living portrait
of perfection down to the smallest detail. You hand
the clients your maintenance schedule, which will be
expertly handled by your crew, shake their hand and head
off to your next project.

A
few months later, the phone rings. Your client is calling to say that
his irrigation system has sprung a leak and he wants you come
immediately to fix it. You grab the necessary repair tools, rush over to
the property, find the leak and make the repair. Your client is happy;
he calls all his friends and recommends that they hire you for their
landscape project.

Does
this sound a little bit like a pipe dream? Sure it does, but I can’t
tell you how many times neighbors and friends ask me who I would
recommend.

Servicing
your clients, especially in emergency situations, creates an ongoing
relationship that can only help grow your business. By following these
few simple steps, and having the right tools to work with, repairing
broken irrigation lines can easily become part of your repertoire and
can add to your bottom line.

We’re
going to assume that the installation was made with PVC pipe. “The
first step in repairing an irrigation system is to find where the leak
is coming from,” says Larry Workman, president Expert4PVC, Trabuco
Canyon, California. “If you have a stream of water shooting into the
air, the break is easy to pinpoint. But if the leak isn’t obvious,
you’re going to have to locate the source of the problem.”

The
easiest way to do this is to ask your client where he noticed the
excess water on his property. You can then simply trace theflow back to the source.
If that isn’t successful, check each zone in the system. If only half
of the heads are working and the pressure is too low to pop the other
heads on the zone, the broken pipe will most likely be somewhere in
between.

Once
you’ve found the break, turn off the water. Carefully dig around the
area where the pipe needs repairing, giving yourself additional room to
work around the hole. Drain the excess water and mud away from the pipe,
then clean and dry all components thoroughly. Once you’re done
preparing the area, you’re ready to repair the pipe.

The
best way to repair a damaged pipe is to replace it. You’ll need to have
a pipe cutter tool to cut the damaged PVC pipe in the ground, and to
cut the correct size of new pipe to replace it. If the pipe is cracked,
make sure you remove enough pipe on both sides of the crack so that the
new fittings will have a solid pipe wall on which to attach.

Now
that you have an empty space between the pipes, you have to determ i n e
w h a t m e t h o d a n d what type of fitting to use to attach the new
pipe.

Gasket or compression couplers and telescoping couplings are very popular fittings when repairing PVC pipe.

The
gasket or compression repair coupling is a relatively simple repair.
You need to be careful about how much space is between the pipes once
you’ve cut out the broken part. If you cut out too much, you will need
additional slips to make the repair.

Once
the broken PVC has been cut, take the compression or gasket coupler
apart. Separate the cut ends that are in the ground far enough that you
can slip the coupler components onto the pipe ends. Slide the nut (like a
union coupling nut) on one side of the pipe, the other nut on the other
side of the pipe, then slip the gasket over the pipe, one on each side.
At an angle, install the large coupler over one side, then slide it
over the other side, then bring the gasket and nuts to the coupler. Hold
the coupler in one hand and thread the nut,
with the gasket to the coupler. By tightening the nut, you compress the
gasket, making it a compression coupler. No solvent cement is used in
conjunction with this coupler.

Another
type of repair fitting that is used is the telescope coupling fitting.
“Once you’ve found the damaged pipe, center the telescopic fitting over
the break, as a guide to measure the length of pipe you want to cut
out,” says David Berg, marketing manager, Dawn Industries. “However,
make sure that when measuring and before you make any cuts, that the
telescoping is compressed. Cut both ends of the damaged pipe and remove
it. Before applying a solvent-cement, position the unit in between the
pipe space and retract the sleeve over one end of the line. Apply
solvent cement on both the fitting and the pipe, slide the sleeve in
place and rotate it. Hold in place for 10 seconds; do the same on the
other side, and the repair is complete.”

Although
the basic steps sound relatively easy, problems may occur if proper
attention isn’t given to applying the solvent-cement correctly. Workman
says that solvent cementing, or solvent welding, is so critical that 90
percent of failures in the system are due to lack of quality workmanship
in the way the solvent-cement was applied.

“People
think they’ll save time by not applying a primer first, but this step
is crucial and doesn’t add any significant time to the application
process,” says Fabio Castellani, director of international sales and
marketing, Weldon in Compton, California. “The solventcement is applied
immediately after you apply the primer. In fact, the cement must be
applied while the primer is still wet, so there isn’t any real
difference in the time savings; however, adding the primer will take a
bit more time for the solvent to cure, or form maximum bond strength.”

The
primer prepares the pipe for the solvent-cement to break down the
surfaces of the PVC fittings, so when you join the pieces, they weld
together to create a chemicallyfused connection. That way, they become a
strong single unit instead of two separate units held together.

Once
the solvent has dried, turn the water back on to the system. Check the
pipe again for any other leaks, and if there are none, carefully
backfill, repair the turf and you’re done.

Repairing polyethelyne

If the pipe you need to repair is made of polyethylene,
the repair method will be a bit different. Like a PVC pipe leak, you
need to first find the location, and then expose the pipe to be
repaired. But unlike PVC, you can’t use solvent-cement because it won’t
work on polyethylene material. Instead, you’ll need to use specially
designed devices that connect the poly-pipes to each other.

To
repair a polyethylene pipe, start by holding the fitting up to the
damaged pipe to measure how much pipe needs to be removed. Then cut the
pipe, and place the clamps on the pipe before making a connection. Then
slide the barbed ends of the fitting into the open pieces of pipe.
Position the clamps over the fittings and crimp closed. When bending the
pipe to attach the fittings, be careful not to kink the pipe by bending
it too much. Any kink in the pipe will significantly reduce the
integrity of the pipe.

Greg
Mullins, irrigation group leader with Landform Services, Fairfield,
Ohio, says he likes using barbed couplers because he feels that he can
make a better connection with the insert fittings.

“In
some cases, insert fittings are the only option for the site because of
all the different sizes and configurations that are available,” he
says. “First, I cut out the damaged section, then use two couplers and
crimp the clamps down on each end of the connections. Poly-pipe is easy
to cut and since you don’t use any solvent cement, you don’t have to
wait for it to dry.”

Whichever
connecting device you choose, it’s a good idea to lubricate both the
polyethylene pipe and the fitting so the device will slide easily into
the pipe.

Whether
you’re repairing PVC or polyethylene, once the repair is completed, your
job is not done. It is crucial that you find out what caused the pipe
to break, or you may receive another angry phone call sooner than later.

Pipes
break for a variety of reasons. Tree roots can puncture a hole in an
underground pipe. Above ground, the sun’s UV rays can cause damage, and
sometimes it’s just a matter of time and normal wear and tear. There are
also just plain system failures. For example, cold weather can make
some materials brittle or aggravate a defective part, causing a leak,
but whatever the cause, you have to do more than just take care of the
immediate problem of a leak.

“Just
replacing the leaking or broken pipe would be like replacing the weak
link in a chain,” said Workman. “The next weakest link could become
another problem, so you need to check the entire irrigation system to
prevent another failure. For instance, if the break or leak was due to
water hammer surges or other extreme pressures, the total
system—including all fittings—may have been “bruised” and eventually
will cause another break. Water hammer effect can be especially damaging
to irrigation pipes,” he says.

Water
hammer happens when you shut off the flow of water suddenly, sending a
pressure or shock wave down the water l i n e t h r o u g h t h e water,
shocking the pipes and creating the ‘ h a m m e r ’ n o i s e . These
shock waves travel faster than the speed of sound and can exert very
great instantaneous pressures. Over time, water hammer can damage pipes
and fittings eventually weakening pipe joints.

The
easiest way to fix water hammer is to lower the water pressure for your
entire irrigation system. If your system is connected to a smart
controller, you may be able to rid water hammer by changing the order in
which the valves operate. Simply find out which valve uses the least
water, then re-set the controller so that the valve that uses the least
water is the last valve to run.

With
a bit of training, and some practice, irrigation pipe repairs on PVC or
polyethylene can be made quickly and easily. Hopefully, emergencies
will be few, but on the rare occasion when you receive that frantic
phone call, you’ll be prepared to say that help is on the way.